different pests of cereal crops, their damage, symptoms and management

1. Mite pest of cereal crops
VINEETHA V.
Msc. Agrl. Entomology
COA, PADANNAKKAD

2. Rice
• Sheath mite- Steneotarsonemus spinki
• Family- tarsonemidae
• Infests the leaf sheath causing brown discoloration
and is wide spread in Orissa, west Bengal, Karnataka,
Kerala, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh causing
extensive damage to flag leaf sheath and panicle.

3. Nature of damage
• The mite feed on leaf sheath, panicles and leaf
midribs of rice.
• As a result symptoms like necrotic spots/lesions of
leaf blade discoloration on leaf sheath ,chaffy grains
,partially and completely discolored grains appear.

4. • The mite infested plants have poorly exerted ear
heads with shriveled ovaries and brown to black
glumes.
• The mites feeding in the region between stem and
inner surface of flag leaf sheath cause discontinuous
brownish sheath ,which later coalesce leading to
continuous discoloration of the sheath almost to its
entire length

5. Management
• Proper destruction of mite infested rice stubbles and
keeping rice fields fallow for at least two week after
the harvest .
• Inclusive application of fenazaquia@1.7 ml/lit
between 75 and 90 DAS

6. LEAF MITE
Occurrence of this pest is sporadic it is found on
paddy in isolated patches of karnataka, tamilnadu,
kerala ,orissa, punjab and Andaman & nicobar
islands.

7. Nature of damage
• Causes heavy loss.
• Feeds on under surface of the leaves.
• Continuous feeding by all stages of the mite causes
yellowing of leaves.
• Under severe infestation the seedlings may dry.
• Infested plants become pale and show stunted growth.

8. Management
• Wettable sulphur is effective for management of this
pest.
• Fenazaquin @1.7 ml/lit and profenphos@1.0ml/lit
are effective

9. Schizotetranychus andropogoni
• Feeds on under surface of the leaves by making small
isolated colonies and the colonies are covered with thin
webs.
• The colonies are seen irregularly on either side of the
midrib.
• White blotches are seen on the leaves later patches turn
brown

10. • Affected leaves looks sickly and gradually dry up.
Management
• Fenazaquin @1.7 ml/lit and monocrotophos@1.0
ml/lit

11. wheat
• Brown wheat Mite- Petrobia latens
• It is a minute, non-webbing and swift moving mite.
• The larvae ,nymphs ,adults feed on upper as well as
the lower surface of the leaves, leave sheaths and
spikes.

12. • Infested leaves start withering from tip to downwards
• The plants become chlorotic due to loss of cell sap,
resulting in poor grain formation.
• Heavily infested plants show sickly yellowing or
bronzing appearance.

13. Management
• Application of micronutrients particularly zinc and
boron
• Wheat variety sonalika fairly tolerant to this inite.
• Ethion ,monocrotophos and dimethoate are effective.

14. Maize
• Tetranychid mites - Oligonychus indicus and
Eutetranychus orientalis and the Brevipalpus
californius

15. Sorghum
• Oligonychus indicus
• Grayish green body with black blotches scattered
over dorsum.
• Appearance of reddish spots.
• The leaves of severely infested plots turn red as if
burned which dry up and fall off.

16. Management
• Wettable sulphur @3g/lit and phosalone are
effective

17. • Ragi- Oligonychus indicus
• Bajra - Oligonychus indicus and Tetranychus
neocaledonicus
• Barley -brown wheat mite

18. Mite pest of vegetable crops
• Mites of the family tetranychidae and taesonemidae
are known to damage the vegetable crops.

19. Scientific name of the
pests
Host plants
Tetranychus urticae Cowpea, french bean
,brinjal and tomato.
T.neocaledonicus Okra ,etc
T.macfarlanei Cucurbitaceous vegetables,
tomato, potato
Polyhagotarsonemus latus Chilli and potato

20. Symptoms of Tetranychus
• Typical symptom is the appearance of white speckles
in the early stage .
• Severe form of damage entire leaf dries .
• Females greenish to pink- reddish brown with two
black dots on either side of the body.
• Males straw or cream coloured

21. • Mites congregate at tip of plant parts
• Dispersal is either a direct plant-to- plant or wind-
aided.
• Infestation more in nitrogen rich soils
• Peak population – May – June, declines during Dec –
Feb and during rainy season.
• Mite damage to the open flower causes a browning
and withering of the petals that resembles spray burn.

22. Symptoms of tarsonemids damage
• Typical symptom is noticed on chilli infested by
tarsonemid mite is downward rolling of leaves from
the edge.
Management
• Spraying wettable sulphur (0.2%) or dicofol (0.02%)
• Spraying of neem seed kernal extract